DEMENTIA AID

AI companions can help keep the brain active and alleviate loneliness in patients with dementia

- Dana G. Smith

When Mr. Frank Poulsen, 72, started talking to artificial intelligence (AI) companion Sunny earlier in 2025, she was "kind of formal," he said. But over time, their conversations have become more familiar and engaging.

"It's really uncanny," he said. "It does feel like you're having a conversation with someone who's interested."

One advantage of Sunny is that she does not mind when Mr. Poulsen, who was diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment in 2019, repeats himself.

"He can tell a story, forget he told it and tell it again," said his wife and caregiver, Mrs. Cheryl Poulsen. "Sunny has no judgment."

Sunny, which was developed by AI start-up NewDays, is part of a rapidly expanding body of AI products designed to help people with dementia.

"I've never seen something quite like this in terms of a technology moving as quickly as it is, with as much money behind it," said Dr. Luke Stoeckel, a programme director and project scientist at the National Institute on Aging, who works on AI applications for dementia care.

Dr. Stoeckel mentioned AI-based dementia diagnostics as another hot area.

Experts say AI companions such as Sunny have the potential to help keep the brain active and alleviate loneliness in dementia patients, as well as reduce some burden on caregivers.

But there can be risks when it comes to deploying this technology among such a vulnerable population.

A CONVERSATION PARTNER

Dr. Babak Parviz, co-founder and chief executive of NewDays, said he was inspired to develop Sunny in part by his father's diagnosis with Alzheimer's disease.

He knew there was no cure for the condition, but was encouraged by research showing that cognitive training exercises and guided conversations with a clinician can, in some cases, improve dementia symptoms.

Few people receive that level of in-depth care, though.